Petaluma High had a strong effort against the best teams in the Redwood Empire in the Swimming Season Kick-Off Invitational.

The Petaluma High School varsity girls placed seventh and varsity boys ninth in the third annual high school Swimming Season Kick-Off Invitational on Saturday at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Petaluma was up against Marin and North Bay League powerhouses Santa Rosa, Maria Carillo, Cardinal Newman, Montgomery, Marin Catholic and Tamalpais, along with Sonoma County League favorite Sonoma Valley in a preview of the 2018 prep season.

Shae Whaley (ninth, 100 fly; 11th, 50 free); Carmen Rico (17th, 100 back; 23rd, 50 free); Ana Larson (second, 100 breast; fifth, 200 IM,); Abagail Kreutz (ninth, 200 IM; 10th, 100 fly); Michael Duffy (14th, 50 free; 13th, 100 back); Cooper Woods (fourth, 500 free; sixth, 200 IM) and Matthew Neufeld (14th, 100 free; eighth, 100 breast) were varsity standouts for PHS, and they will be counted upon to anchor this year’s team.

Attesting to the depth and potential of the team was the second, and third-place finishes of the JV girls and boys, respectively. Standouts for the JV team were Sunshine Sather (third, 50 free; seventh, 50 back); Emilie Box (seventh, 50 free; eighth, 50 breast); Victoria Canela (fourth, 50 free); Angelique Lindberg (fifth, 50 fly); Gavin Newell (second, 50 fly; second, 100 free) and Brendan McMahon (first, 50 fly; third, 100 free).

Undoubtedly, second-year head coach Eric Hoffmann and assistant coach Sarah Greeson are excited about the team’s future.

Providing depth for the Petaluma squad are varsity swimmers Aurora Beaumond, Emma Deen, Kelsey Vella, Jamie Cantieri, Hannah Wendling-Drake, Julia Duffy, Yessenia Resendeiz-Torres, Ava Schafbuch, Derek Honey, Robert Box and Luca Binsfeld-Debus.

Rounding out the JV squad are Rosa and Katie Arango, Zaria Chamberlain, Ellie Packer, Grace Ruddell, Josephine Schnitzer, Caroline Stewart, Grace Hegenbart, Alexander Starling, Dylan Harris, James Wirth, Ty Chisum and Sam Saltonstall.

The Petaluma High dual-meet season begins on March 15 with a rivalry meet against Analy at 4 p.m. at the Petaluma Swim Center, followed by home meets against Piner on March 29 and El Molino on April 5. The dual-meet season ends with away meets at Healdsburg on April 12 and Sonoma on April 17, with the league championships slated for April 27.